Commercial Litigation Paralegal

Law Staff; Royal Borough of Greenwich; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Law Staff is seeking a Commercial Litigation Paralegal with at least 12 months UK private practice experience to join our Central London team. You will support fee earners on a busy commercial disputes caseload and assist with pre-action steps.

The role requires strong drafting, organisation and client communication, a good working knowledge of Civil Procedure Rules, and proficiency in Word, Excel and Outlook.

Qualifications

• 12+ months private practice paralegal experience in commercial/civil litigation.
• Experience supporting fee earners on contested matters.
• Solid understanding of civil litigation procedure and CPR.
• Strong drafting and client communication skills.
• Able to manage multiple priorities with deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Assist solicitors with management of commercial litigation matters from instruction to proceedings.
• Prepare first drafts of correspondence, court documents and witness statements.
• Prepare electronic bundles using Adobe Acrobat Pro and ensure pagination.
• Conduct legal research and prepare concise notes and chronologies.
• Assist with document preservation, disclosure and privilege issues.
• Coordinate with clients, counsel and courts and provide progress updates.
• Maintain records of deadlines and escalate as needed.

Skills

Commercial litigation

Civil Procedure Rules

Legal research

Document drafting

Time management

Tools

Adobe Acrobat Pro

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Outlook

Job description

Top legal 500 law firm located in Central London are seeking a Commercial Litigation Paralegal with a minimum of 12 months, UK legal experience to join their team.

Prerequisite experience for this Commercial Litigation role:

• Minimum of 12 months UK, Commercial Litigation experience
• Full UK rights to work with no sponsorship required

About the firm:

Our client has a team of experienced and dedicated lawyers offering a comprehensive range of legal services to clients in the UK and overseas. With a reputation for achieving exceptional results, they have enjoyed continued growth and expansion since their inception and are well placed to continue on an upwards trajectory.

Essential experience for this Commercial Litigation Paralegal role:

• Have a minimum of 12 months’ recent private practice experience as a commercial or civil litigation paralegal, with substantive exposure to commercial disputes.
• Have experience working within a litigation or dispute resolution team and providing practical support on a varied contentious caseload.
• Demonstrate a solid understanding of civil litigation procedure and commercial dispute resolution, including a working knowledge of the Civil Procedure Rules and relevant pre-action requirements.
• Have experience supporting fee earners on contested matters through various stages of the litigation process, including pre-action work and issued proceedings.
• Possess strong drafting, organisational and client communication skills.
• Be able to manage competing priorities effectively in a fast-paced legal environment, maintain reliable task and deadline records, and escalat urgent issues promptly.
• Be confident using Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook, together with electronic document management and PDF tools, including practical experience using Adobe Acrobat Pro or equivalent software to prepare and manage electronic litigation bundles
• Be comfortable learning and using new legal technology, including firm-approved AI tools, with an understanding of the need to protect client information and independently verify AI-generated content.

Preferred Experience for this Commercial Litigation Paralegal role:

Experience assisting with some or all the following would be advantageous; experience in every category is not required:

• Breach of contract and misrepresentation disputes.
• Debt recovery and enforcement proceedings.
• Shareholder and partnership disputes, including disputes concerning directors’ duties and company management.
• Professional negligence claims.
• Injunctive relief applications.
• Commercial and business-to-business disputes, including disputes concerning the provision of goods and services.
• Banking, lending, and finance-related disputes.
• Insolvency-related litigation and recovery claims.
• Mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, including settlement negotiations.
• High Court and County Court proceedings.
• Practical experience using Microsoft Copilot or other firm-approved AI tools to support document summarisation, preparation of chronologies and first-draft correspondence would also be advantageous.

Key Responsibilities for this Commercial Litigation Paralegal role:

• Assisting solicitors with the management of commercial litigation matters from initial instruction and pre-action correspondence through to proceedings, settlement, and enforcement.
• Preparing first drafts of correspondence, court documents, witness statements, instructions to counsel and briefing notes for solicitor review.
• Preparing indexed, paginated and, where required, searchable electronic bundles for court hearings, mediations, and conferences, using Adobe Acrobat Pro to combine and organise documents, add bookmarks and hyperlinks, apply text recognition (OCR), and check completeness, legibility and pagination against the index and applicable court requirements
• Conducting legal research and reviewing documentation, producing concise research notes, chronologies, case summaries, and evidence schedules, and identifying gaps or inconsistencies for solicitor review, including following up outstanding documents and information with clients and third parties as directed.
• Assisting with document preservation, collection, review, and disclosure exercises, and flagging potential confidentiality and privilege issues to the supervising solicitor.
• Liaising with clients, counsel, experts, courts, opponents and third parties as directed, including coordinating conferences and hearings, arranging the secure delivery of papers, and preparing routine progress updates for solicitor review.
• Assisting with filing and service of documents and maintaining records of court directions, procedural deadlines, and key dates, with prompt escalation of approaching deadlines or potential difficulties.
• Attending client meetings, conferences with counsel and hearings as required, taking accurate attendance notes and tracking follow-up actions.
• Assisting with settlement documentation, including draft agreements, consent orders and Tomlin Orders, and monitoring agreed implementation steps.
• Supporting fee earners with case management, including client onboarding, maintaining orderly electronic files, accurate time recording and assisting with costs information and billing administration.
• Supporting the team’s business development initiatives, including attending networking events, seminars, and client events as appropriate.